By BARBARA GREEN
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Nocona High School’s film program took the championship gold medal for its narrative film “I Will Rise” at Wednesday’s University Interscholastic League’ Young Filmmakers Festival in Austin.
This was the sixth year in a row for NHS Film to place in the state’s top student films and the seventh to make the state finals. Previously the students earned the top awards in animation, but this was the first time for a narrative.
The film program will show its two UIL films, “I Will Rise,” and “Prodito,” which made the narrative semi-finals for the top 12 in the state, in a program at 7 p.m. on March 6 in the high school auditorium.
This free evening will include showings of some past UIL films by the team, plus the new ones along with celebrating the graduating film students.
NHS Film has received a second, third and fourth place finish in the finals for narrative in previous finals, but this was the title Norman has wanted since the festival started.
In 2019 “Numb,” took second; 2021, “Showtime” took third; 2022 “The Stranger” took fourth and this year “I Will Rise” took first.
“Narrative is my passion and the state championship title means a lot. It’s a milestone in the Nocona film program’s legacy. The students were so excited to finally be validated on what we felt was the place we deserved,” explains the teacher.

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